Raven was whimpering in her sleep on the small bed. The night's events had been crazy after she poofed into my room with a whimpering Mal and an open shirt. There was blood leaking from marks on her neck and chest and she wasn't standing for long, but damn did she look like an ethereal goddess when I first opened my eyes.

There had been a white glow surrounding her, solidifying my original thought that she was a dream until it faded away and she was still there. The agonizing cry of pain at her feet was the tell that it was real.

Not saying I've had lots of dreams about Raven, but the ones she happens to be in don't involve screaming.

More like moaning.

I cringed at myself as she let out an agonized groan. She was bathed in a blue light that Kori earlier explained was her body healing itself. Normally these instances were quiet while she lies in a meditative sleep. Kori quietly informed me she was having a nightmare before joining Richard in the interrogation room.

If I could get my hands on that sleazeball he wouldn't be able to talk.

It's probably better that Richard handles this part. It was obvious from the writing on Raven's arms and legs in what looks and smells a lot like dried pigs blood that Mal wasn't the only one involved.

I've seen his handwriting and he wasn't capable of something so ornate and detailed.

"No," Raven's low voice groaned out, her brows knitting together. "I won't let it end," her voice was agonized as she tossed in the bed, throwing her pillow to the floor and tangling herself in my overly large shirt.

I couldn't just let her be toted around with her body on display for Garth. It was a little hard to ignore what seeing her in my clothes were doing to me though. That same dark voice that had been persistent on getting rid of Mal was now chanting to make her mine.

And that was just gross. I mean, she's a person. I can't just claim her like a possession.

'You can when it's obvious that's what she wants,' a shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Raven being open to that idea.

I fisted my hands in my hair trying to immediately push the thought out of my head. Terra had never brought these thoughts out of the deep, primal part of me. It was scary how easy it would be to simply listen and give in.

It was even scarier how badly I wanted to.

"Safe," Raven's voice whined. "Keep me," her voice was small as it trailed off, her flailing causing my shirt to push up her body revealing more of the blood markings on her.

Vic took thorough photos of the damage done to her skin as well as the marks. Jinx and Wally were currently working on researching them, though Jinx looked paler than normal when she witnessed her friend get carried into the infirmary where she and Wally were doing god knows what.

"Gar-" her voice moaned out and I had to leave before I did something stupid, like kiss her when she woke up or put my fist through a wall.

Everything was too hot and my skin felt like it was crawling.

Why why why why why.

'She is strong enough,' the stupid primal voice in my head growled out as I began pacing the hall in front of the door.

I had to leave but I couldn't go too far away.

Had to make sure she was safe, but the stupid urges running through my head and burning through my veins were making me a threat to her safety.

"I can't stand it," I growled out, surprised at the low timbre of my voice.

'She is strong enough to be mate,' the dumb voice growled out like it was obvious.

"That's stupid. I mean she's pretty and she smells nice as she's got thighs I want wrapped around my head but she doesn't even like us… Me. She doesn't like ME."

'She will once she's bedded.'

"No," I argued with the voice in my head as I passed the door again, stopping for a brief moment so that I could listen for the steady rhythm of Raven's heart. "Mating sounds final and I can't exactly take forever away from her. I mean. I'm not even sure if I can devote forever to-"

"You okay?" Garth's voice called out, sounding worried. I pushed back the instinct to growl at him and instead turned slowly on my heel to stare at him. Because I didn't have an answer. Physically I was fine. Mentally I was… well I'm fighting with a part of my self that shouldn't have a voice. I mean, the rest of the animals don't.

"I think I'm broken," I said slowly.

"Whatcha mean?" Garth leaned against the wall leading to Raven's room and I had to hold in the urge to rip his throat out. It was a scary thought and left me silent for way to long.

"I think I'm going crazy," I finally answered out as I let out a long, shuddering breath. "My animal side is trying to fight me."

"Well there aren't many people out there like you Gar," Garth stood up, looking worried for a moment. "Maybe you should get in contact with some of them, figure out how they handle… whatever it is that your fighting with yourself about."

"Yeah," I took another deep breath, catching wisps of Raven's scent, finally free from Mal's taint but now mixed with old pig blood and something darker.

Fear.

I couldn't suppress the urge this time as I dashed into the room, leaving Garth to stare at the space I use to occupy. Raven was up, a scalpel in her hand as she stood in the corner of the room looking like she was about to fight for her life. When our eyes locked all of the tension rolled out of her body and she looked so relieved she actually began crying. This strong woman who endured all of the bs Mal had thrown at her for the past month with anger instead of sadness was breaking down, the sharp instrument falling from her hand. She walked forward stiffly, until she stood right in front of me, her big purple eyes full of tears. She looked like she wanted to speak, like she wanted to scream. Without a thought to what she might do to me I tugged her to my chest and crushed her against me. Paper containers in the corner exploded, sending debris and a few bits of plastic everywhere, but we could clean that up later.

"I just prayed to go somewhere safe." Her voice trembled as she talked through the fabric of my shirt straight to my heart. "I thought I had woken back up there."

"You're here now. We'll keep you safe." Her small body became wracked with sobs as her nails dug into my skin.

"No one can keep me safe from what's coming next."

Kori and Jinx took Raven away to speak in hushed tones once Vic said she was stable enough to leave the infirmary. That left me to wander around the compound, trying to ignore the warring pull to be there with her and pound Mal into the concrete.

After her ominous statement she refused to speak until Kori threatened something in her native tongue that had the pale woman turning paper white.

"Changeling," Richard called, still keeping up superhero appearances. I twitched my nose but stopped my pacing, facing our fearless leader.

"Sir," My voice was rougher than I wanted it to be. The stupid hormones running through my body making the 'Alpha' try and show dominance.

Which is stupid because in this form Richard could kick my ass in a heartbeat with his tai-chi and Super Bat fighting skills.

"We've got information you might want to hear." There was a waver in his voice, just the tiniest crack. This was something big. I nodded once and followed him as he took me to the interrogation room.

Mal was bloodied and bruised, but most of it looked to be self inflicted. Dick was too 'follow the books' to implement torture.

"He attempted to bash his own head into the wall. But we were able to crack him," Richard answered my questioning stare. There was no light in his eyes as Vic asked him who he worked for and he answered calmly and quietly.

"Slade Wilson."

"Why did Raven bring you here?"

"Hell if I know. She wasn't supposed to be able to use her powers. I had them bound." He spat out.

Everyone had to know by now that Rachel and Raven were the same person. Mal had been attached at her side for weeks. What would she do when she found out her secret identity wasn't secret anymore.

"She's a portal," Mal answered a question I hadn't heard. Too busy in my head to pay attention like I should. "Her body and blood will be used to bring about the end of days."

"And why do you want something like that?" Vic asked incredulously.

"He's suppose to give his devout followers their true desires. Should we bring about his resurrection we will be offered a boon."

"A wish for the end of the world," Vic shook his head as Mal nodded.

"But she showed me what he'll do… the world will be nothing but blood and ash. Even the faithful with die with their pleas dying in their throat." Mal's voice quivered as he looked up at the two way glass, his eyes sliding passed me. I turned to find Raven, still in my shirt, studying him with hatred in her eyes. "She will be the portal to the end of the world and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

"Bullshit," I muttered, tired of hearing his ravings as he began repeating the last line over and over.

Raven looked better, but there was a hard edge in those beautiful amethyst eyes.

"It's true." Her voice was firm as she stepped towards Richard in nothing but the shortest shorts to ever exist and my shirt. "I've tried to avoid it my whole life, I've done everything in my power to keep it from coming true but we just had Jinx do a reading… and her readings are rarely wrong."

"But they can be," Richard spoke the words that were about to tumble out of my mouth.

"You guys should call in reinforcements, once Deathstroke makes his move there will be little time to prepare." Raven's eyes left Dick to fall on Mal. She studied him for a long time, something calculated and cold in her eyes before she shifted her gaze to me, her eyes softening the smallest bit.

"You offered us a permanent position once, rooms and whatnot," Raven addressed Dick while studying me. It made me nervous, the dangerous glint in her eye as if she were sizing up an opponent.

"Offer still stands."

"Koriand'r and Jinx will be taking you up on that."

"And you?"

"Unless you have a safe space for spellweaving I'll be remaining at my apartment."

"We could build a space," I rushed out before she turned away. She raised her eyebrow slowly. Richard studied us both before nodding.

"I guess you'll need help with that," she spoke softly before taking a deep breath. "I will prepare you as much as I can for the end, but that's all I can do."

"Anything that helps," Dick nodded before turning back to Mal and Vic. Somehow Vic was able to get him out of his eternal loop and onto any information he had on Deathstroke's whereabouts.

"Wally, Garth and I will be out searching the safehouses that piece of.. work provides us. You and Vic keep an eye on Raven and the girls."

"Bullshit!" Jinx's shrill voice called from the open door. She offered Raven a sympathetic look before storming over to Richard. "I'm coming. There's a chance I can scry for his location if we find something that belongs to him."

"Very well," Dick didn't argue, which was rare for him.